The Senate Finance Committee Wednesday unanimously approved a House proposal that would eliminate the inheritance tax for minors when the transfer of property comes from a deceased parent, adoptive parent, or stepparent.

The bill, House Bill 291 sponsored by Rep. Carl Walker Metzgar (R-Somerset), cleared the House in April 2017 along a strong bipartisan vote of 176-21.

The House Appropriations Committee this week continued its slate of hearings with Wolf administration agency heads to delve deeper into what special funds various agencies have, how much is in the funds, what the funds are used for, and whether the special funds in question can be utilized to fill gaps in state revenue.

Seeking to take out what he sees as the politics of forecasting future revenue, Rep. Seth Grove (R-York) recently introduced two bills that would reform how the Commonwealth arrives at its annual revenue estimate and what information the Independent Fiscal Office is able to see when determining its revenue forecasts and provides independent information to the legislature about state finances.

With the legislature returning to session in just less than two weeks, House Majority Leader Dave Reed (R-Indiana) provided an update Thursday on the various priorities of the House Republican Caucus and the state House of Representatives as a whole.